My Pages On Different Subjects which Hyperlinked to all my Blog Posts

Saturday, 14 June 2014

New
fossils reveal gills possibly on their way to chomping on prey. One of the
earliest outlines of jaws may have been written in the gills of a fish called
Metaspriggina walcotti.

The fish,
which lived roughly 500 million years ago, had been described previously. But
100 new specimens collected in the Canadian Rockies provide a detailed look at
the creature’s gill bars, the structures that ran vertically down the body and
supported the gills. In M. walcotti, each gill bar had an upper and lower arch,
possibly made of cartilage-like tissue. The front set of gill bars was slightly
thicker than the others and did not actually have gills beside them. These gill
bars might have served as a precursor to the jaws that evolved around 420
million years ago in younger fish, researchers argue June 11 in Nature.

To form a
jaw from M. walcotti’s front grill bars and achieve a chomping motion, one of
its descendants would have needed a hinge where the gill bars’ upper and lower
arches meet and some new muscles, the scientists suggest.

2)
Oxytocin stimulates repair of old mice’s muscles:

Naturally
produced hormone, well known for its role in social bonding, could help heal
injuries in the elderly. The “love hormone” does more than trigger labor and
cement emotional ties between people. Oxytocin also helps repair damaged
muscles, at least in mice.

Oxytocin
stimulates muscle stem cells to divide when muscle is damaged, researchers
report June 10 in Nature Communications.Experiments with mice also showed that the hormone’s levels in the
animals’ blood declines with age. Giving old mice shots of oxytocin restored
their muscle-regeneration capabilities to match those of much younger rodents.
But extra doses of the hormone did not boost muscle-building in young mice.

“This is
not a performance-enhancing drug,” says study coauthor Irina Conboy, a stem
cell scientist at the University of California, Berkeley.The findings raise the
possibility that oxytocin may stave off muscle atrophy in aging people.

The find
cracks open an old question about pterosaur life — whether the animals flocked
together or flew solo. Pterosaurs’ fragile skeletons make finding intact bones
tough. Fossil eggs are even rarer. Until now, scientists had found only four
isolated, squished ones. So the lifestyle of the winged animals’ was mostly a
mystery.

In
northwestern China, paleontologist Xiaolin Wang of the Chinese Academy of
Sciences in Beijing and colleagues unearthed the fossils of about 40
pterosaurs, narrow-skulled creatures spouting Mohawk-like crests. The
researchers also found five complete eggs. The eggs — Grade A compared with the
flattened previous finds — have kept most of their original 3-D shape, the
researchers report in the June 16 Current Biology.

About the
size of skinny chicken eggs, the pterosaur eggs probably had a cushiony
membrane covered with a thin shell, like a gummy bear with an M&M coating.
Because the fossil eggs were found scrambled among the bones of so many
pterosaurs, Wang and colleagues think the animals were a social bunch. Instead
of ranging freely by themselves, the pterosaurs probably laid eggs together.

Bacteria
responsible for many cases of periodontitis cause an imbalance in the microbial
community in the gums, with a sophisticated, two-prong manipulation of the
human immune system, research shows. Not only does the team's discovery open up
new targets for periodontitis treatment, it also suggests a bacterial strategy
that could be at play in other diseases involving dysbiosis.

The human
body is comprised of roughly 10 times more bacterial cells than human cells. In
healthy people, these bacteria are typically harmless and often helpful,
keeping disease-causing microbes at bay. But, when disturbances knock these
bacterial populations out of balance, illnesses can arise. Periodontitis, a
severe form of gum disease, is one example.In a new study, University of
Pennsylvania researchers show that bacteria responsible for many cases of
periodontitis cause this imbalance, known as dysbiosis, with a sophisticated,
two-prong manipulation of the human immune system.Their findings, reported in
the journal Cell Host & Microbe, lay out the mechanism, revealing that the
periodontal bacterium Porphyromonas gingivalis acts on two molecular pathways
to simultaneously block immune cells' killing ability while preserving the
cells' ability to cause inflammation. The selective strategy protects
"bystander" gum bacteria from immune system clearance, promoting
dysbiosis and leading to the bone loss and inflammation that characterizes
periodontitis. At the same time, breakdown products produced by inflammation
provide essential nutrients that "feed" the dysbiotic microbial
community. The result is a vicious cycle in which inflammation and dysbiosis
reinforce one another, exacerbating periodontitis.

George
Hajishengallis, a professor in the Penn School of Dental Medicine's Department
of Microbiology, was the senior author on the paper, collaborating with
co-senior author John Lambris, the Dr. Ralph and Sallie Weaver Professor of
Research Medicine in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in
Penn's Perelman School of Medicine. Collaborators included Tomoki Maekawa and
Toshiharu Abe of Penn Dental Medicine.Work by Hajishengallis's group and
collaborators had previously identified P. gingivalis as a "keystone pathogen."
Drawing an analogy from the field of ecology, in which a species such as a
grizzly bear is thought of as a keystone species because of the influence it
has over a number of other species in the community, the idea suggests that,
although P. gingivalis may be relatively few in number in the mouth, their
presence exerts an outsized pull on the overall microbial ecosystem. Indeed,
the team has shown that, although P. gingivalis is responsible for instigating
the process that leads to periodontitis, it can't cause the disease by itself.

"Scientists
are beginning to suspect that keystone pathogens might be playing a role in
irritable bowel disease, colon cancer and other inflammatory diseases,"
Hajishengallis said. "They're bugs that can't mediate the disease on their
own; they need other, normally non-pathogenic bacteria to cause the
inflammation."

In this
study, they wanted to more fully understand the molecules involved in the
process by which P. gingivalis caused disease.

"We
asked the question, how could bacteria evade killing without shutting off
inflammation, which they need to obtain their food," Hajishengallis
said.The researchers focused on neutrophils, which shoulder the bulk of
responsibility of responding to periodontal insults. Based on the findings of
previous studies, they examined the role of two protein receptors: C5aR and
Toll-like receptor-2, or TLR2.Inoculating mice with P. gingivalis, they found
that animals that lacked either of these receptors as well as animals that were
treated with drugs that blocked these receptors had lower levels of bacteria
than untreated, normal mice. Blocking either of these receptors on human
neutrophils in culture also significantly enhanced the cells' ability to kill
the bacteria. Microscopy revealed that P. gingivalis causes TLR2 and C5aR to
physically come together."These findings suggest that there is some
crosstalk between TLR2 and C5aR," Hajishengallis said. "Without
either one, the bacteria weren't as effective at colonizing the gums."

Further
experiments in mice and in cultured human neutrophils helped the researchers
identify additional elements of how P. gingivalis operates to subvert the
immune system. They found that the TLR2-C5aR crosstalk leads to degradation of
the protein MyD88, which normally helps clear infection. And in a separate
pathway from MyD88, they discovered that P. gingivalis activates the enzyme
PI3K through C5aR-TLR2 crosstalk, promoting inflammation and inhibiting
neutrophils' ability to phagocytose, or "eat," invading bacteria.Inhibiting
the activity of either PI3K or a molecule that acted upstream of PI3K called
Mal restored the neutrophils' ability to clear P. gingivalis from the
gums."P. gingivalis uses this connection between C5aR and TLR2 to disarm
and dissociate the MyD88 pathway, which normally protects the host from
infection, from the proinflammatory and immune-evasive pathway mediated by Mal
and PI3K," Hajishengallis said.Not only does the team's discovery open up
new targets for periodontitis treatment, it also suggests a bacterial strategy
that could be at play in other diseases involving dysbiosis.

5) Key
step toward a safer strep vaccine:

The genes
encoding a molecule that famously defines Group A Streptococcus (strep), a
pathogenic bacterial species responsible for more than 700 million infections
worldwide each year, has been identified by an international team of
scientists. Efforts to develop such a vaccine have been significantly hindered
by complexities in how the human immune system reacts to the bacterial pathogen.
Specifically, some patients with strep infections produce antibodies that
cross-react with their own heart valve tissue, leading to rheumatic fever and
heart damage.An international team of scientists, led by researchers at the
University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, have identified the
genes encoding a molecule that famously defines Group A Streptococcus (strep),
a pathogenic bacterial species responsible for more than 700 million infections
worldwide each year.

The
findings, published online in the June 11 issue of Cell Host & Microbe,
shed new light on how strep bacteria resists the human immune system and
provides a new strategy for developing a safe and broadly effective vaccine
against strep throat, necrotizing fasciitis (flesh-eating disease) and
rheumatic heart disease."Most people experience one or more painful strep
throat infections as a child or young adult," said senior author Victor
Nizet, MD, professor of pediatrics and pharmacy. "Developing a broadly
effective and safe strep vaccine could prevent this suffering and reduce lost
time and productivity at school and work, estimated to cost $2 billion
annually."

Efforts
to develop such a vaccine have been significantly hindered by complexities in
how the human immune system reacts to the bacterial pathogen. Specifically,
some patients with strep infections produce antibodies that cross-react with
their own heart valve tissue, leading to rheumatic fever and heart damage.
Though rare in the United States, rheumatic fever remains common in some
developing countries and causes significant disability and death.

The Cell
Host & Microbe study suggests a way to circumvent the damaging autoimmune
response triggered by strep. Specifically, the researchers noted that the cell
wall of strep is composed primarily of a single molecule known as the group A
carbohydrate (or GAC) which, in turn, is built from repeating units of the
bacterial sugar rhamnose and the human-like sugar N-acetylglucosamine
(GlcNAc).Previous research has indicated that GlcNAc sugars present in GAC may
be responsible for triggering production of heart-damaging antibodies in some
patients. Nizet said the latest findings corroborate this model, and suggest
that eliminating the pathogen's ability to add GlcNAc sugars to GAC could be
the basis for a safe vaccine.

"In
this study, we discovered the strep genes responsible for the biosynthesis and
assembly of GAC, the very molecule that defines the pathogen in clinical
diagnosis," said first author Nina van Sorge, PharmD, PhD, a former
postdoctoral fellow at UC San Diego who now leads her own laboratory at Utrecht
University Medical Center in the Netherlands. "This discovery allowed us
to generate mutant bacterial strains and study the contribution of GAC to strep
disease."

The researchers
found that a mutant strep strain lacking the human-like GlcNAc sugar on the GAC
molecule exhibited normal bacterial growth and expressed key proteins known to
be associated with strep virulence, but was easily killed when exposed to human
white blood cells or serum. The mutant strep bacteria also lost the ability to
produce severe disease in animal infection models"Our studies showed that
the GlcNAc sugar of GAC is a critical virulence factor allowing strep to spread
in the blood and tissues," van Sorge said. "This is likely important
for the rare, but deadly, complications of strep infection such as pneumonia,
necrotizing fasciitis and toxic shock syndrome."The researchers also
identified a way to remove the problematic GlcNAc sugar so that a mutant form
of the bacteria with only rhamnose-containing GAC could be purified and tested
as a vaccine antigen.

"We
showed that antibodies produced against mutant GAC antigen helped human white
blood cells kill the pathogen and protected mice from lethal strep
infection," said Jason Cole, PhD, a visiting project scientist from the
University of Queensland, Australia, and co-lead author of the paper.
"Because GAC is present in all strep strains, this may represent a safer
antigen for inclusion in a universal strep vaccine."Researchers plan to
assess the new modified antigen against other candidates in advanced strep throat
vaccine tests in nonhuman primates beginning later this year in Atlanta,
Georgia, funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council of
Australia."It is satisfying to find that a fundamental observation
regarding the genetics and biochemistry of the pathogen can have implications
not only for strep disease pathogenesis, but also for vaccine design,"
Nizet said.

6) A tiny
molecule may help battle depression:

Levels of
a small molecule found only in humans and in other primates are lower in the
brains of depressed individuals, according to researchers at McGill University
and the Douglas Institute. This discovery may hold a key to improving treatment
options for those who suffer from depression. Depression is a common cause of
disability, and while viable medications exist to treat it, finding the right
medication for individual patients often amounts to trial and error for the
physician. In a new study published in the journal Nature Medicine, Dr. Gustavo
Turecki, a psychiatrist at the Douglas and professor in the Faculty of
Medicine, Department of Psychiatry at McGill, together with his team,
discovered that the levels of a tiny molecule, miR-1202, may provide a marker
for depression and help detect individuals who are likely to respond to antidepressant
treatment.

"Using
samples from the Douglas Bell-Canada Brain Bank, we examined brain tissues from
individuals who were depressed and compared them with brain tissues from
psychiatrically healthy individuals, says Turecki, who is also Director of the
McGill Group for Suicide Studies, "We identified this molecule, a microRNA
known as miR-1202, only found in humans and primates and discovered that it
regulates an important receptor of the neurotransmitter glutamate."

The team
conducted a number of experiments that showed that antidepressants change the
levels of this microRNA. "In our clinical trials with living depressed
individuals treated with citalopram, a commonly prescribed antidepressant, we
found lower levels in depressed individuals compared to the non-depressed
individuals before treatment," says Turecki. "Clearly, microRNA
miR-1202 increased as the treatment worked and individuals no longer felt
depressed."

Antidepressant
drugs are the most common treatment for depressive episodes, and are among the
most prescribed medications in North America. "Although antidepressants
are clearly effective, there is variability in how individuals respond to
antidepressant treatment," says Turecki, "We found that miR-1202 is
different in individuals with depression and particularly, among those patients
who eventually will respond to antidepressant treatment."The discovery may
provide "a potential target for the development of new and more effective
antidepressant treatments," he adds.

MUST SEE!
Sun puts on a fireworks show:

The NASA
cameras on Wednesday captured a major solar eruption, the third X-class flare
in two days.The flare was classified as an X1.0 and it peaked at around 3:30 pm
IST on Wednesday. “Images of the flare were captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics
Observatory. All three flares originated from an active region on the sun that
recently rotated into view over the left limb of the sun,” NASA said in a
statement.

Harmful
radiation from the short-lived explosions cannot pass through Earth's atmosphere
to physically affect humans on the ground. However, when intense enough, they
can disturb the atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communications signals
travel.

It's been
five years since Hiccup and Toothless successfully united dragons and vikings
on the island of Berk. While Astrid, Snotlout and the rest of the gang are
challenging each other to dragon races (the island's new favorite contact
sport), the now inseparable pair journey through the skies, charting unmapped
territories and exploring new worlds. When one of their adventures leads to the
discovery of a secret ice cave that is home to hundreds of new wild dragons and
the mysterious Dragon Rider, the two friends find themselves at the center of a
battle to protect the peace. Now, Hiccup and Toothless must unite to stand up
for what they believe while recognizing that only together do they have the
power to change the future of both men and dragons.

Three
college students on a road trip across the Southwest experience a detour: the
tracking of a computer genius who has already hacked into MIT and exposed
security faults. The trio find themselves drawn to an eerily isolated area.
Suddenly everything goes dark. When one of the students, Nic (Brenton Thwaites
of The Giver and Maleficent), regains consciousness, he is in a waking
nightmare…

When
tragedy rocks Blackfoot High, rebellious outsider Mäddy Killian shocks the
student body by joining the cheerleading squad. This decision drives a rift
between Mäddy and her ex-girlfriend Leena Miller – a loner who claims to
practice the Dark Arts. After a confrontation with the football team, Mäddy and
her new cheerleader friends are sent on a supernatural roller coaster ride
which leaves a path of destruction none of them may be able to escape.

Filled
with considerable comedic beats, Lullaby explores the power of life, its
transformative moments and reconnections between loved ones. Estranged from his
family, Jonathan (Hedlund) receives word that his father, Robert (Jenkins), who
has been fighting illness for over a decade has chosen to take himself off life
support in less than forty-eight hours. What follows is an unexpected journey
of love, laughter, and forgiveness.

In this
futuristic science fiction thriller, government security agent Jerry Hipple has
been unsuccessfully tracking the city's most infamous criminal The Red Harvest
Killer. When two nomadic lovers, Katia and Gladys enter the city the death
count rises and are being credited as Red Harvest killings. Obsessive
compulsive Adrian, the actual Red Harvest Killer becomes furious that the sexy
serial killing duo are grabbing media attention under his alias. Not only does
Adrian attempt to reclaim his rightful reputation but he also decides to
cleverly aid his detective counterpart through the case. All the while, killers
and victims alike are unaware the world is about to reach an abrupt
catastrophic ending.

Bengali Movie "Char" (2014) by Sandip Roy Bengali Movie "Char" will released in this month. Famous Bengali
Director Sandip roy made this film based on four short story written by
legendary writer Satyajit Roy, Saradindu Chattopadhyay & Parshuram.Story: Kaktaruya by Satyajit Roy, Porikha by Saradindu Chattopadhyay,
Dui Bandhu by Satyajit & Boteshwarer Obodan by Porshuram

At least
24 engineering students, including six girls, are feared to have been washed
away this evening in River Beas near Thalot on Manali-Kiratpur Highway, 40 km
from Mandi, police said on Sunday.The sight seeing trip to Himachal Pradesh
turned tragic for the Hyderabad students who were taking photographs on the
bank of the river.

Gushing
waters of the Beas swept them away after water was suddenly released from the
reservoir of 126 MW Larji hydropower project.The incident took place around 7
pm near Thalot, 61 km from Mandi, when the students from the Hyderabad-based
engineering college VNR Vignana Jyothi Institute of Engineering &
Technology, Bachupally, Nizampet, were trying to click photos on the bank of
the river.The students drowned when water from Larji dam was suddenly released
without any warning.

Rescue
operation

As the
tunnel joins river Beas, the students were thrown into the middle of the river.
While some managed to reach the bank, others were swept away. Some students
were drowned while trying to save others, police said.

"Exact
number of students who were swept away is not known as the rescue operation is
still on. They were trying to click the photos near the Larji dam tunnel when
the dam staff suddenly released the water from the dam located on other side of
the tunnel. The students were unaware of the water threat. The flow of the water
was so strong that they did not get a chance to reach the bank. While some were
washed away and were thrown into river Beas, some even tried to save themselves
by climbing on rocks. They were drowned as the water force increased. Some were
saved by locals by throwing ropes," Kuldeep Rana, Additional SP, Mandi,
said.

Another
police official said that when the water was being released, the locals also
raised the alarm but the dam staff ignored the same.No warning was issued
before releasing the water.According to the police, there were 61 people,
including students and staff, who were on their way to Manali in two college
buses. There were 13 girl students.Local administration swung into action after
the police was informed by the locals.The darkness hampered the rescue
operation which continued till late night.

People
living along the two sides of the river bank downstream of the dam have been
alerted to inform the police about any person sighted by them.Massive search
operations have been launched to trace the missing students but there was no
success due to darkness.The incident has sent shock waves and parents and
friends of the missing students are making frantic calls to know about their
whereabouts.This is the second major accident in the state in less than three
months.

Nearly
two months ago, 15 people were killed and nearly two dozen injured when their
overloaded mini- bus rolled down a 400- feet deep gorge in Himachal Pradesh's
Sirmaur district. The bus was on its way from Milla village to Paonta Sahib.In
another accident in 2013, all 21 people travelling by a private mini-bus were
killed when the vehicle skidded off the road and rolled down more than a
500-foot deep gorge in Himachal Pradesh's Sirmaur district.

2) 4th
woman found hanging from tree in UP, family cries rape:

The body
of a 19-year-old was found hanging from a tree in a village in Moradabad
district of Uttar Pradesh.

The
woman, who had left the house on Wednesday evening without informing anyone,
was found hanging from a tree near a temple in Thakurdwara police station area
on Thursday, according to a report received by the Director General of Police's
office in Lucknow from the police in Moradabad.

The
family of the deceased has not insinuated anyone nor has it given any complaint
in writing, it said, adding that there were also no visible injury marks on the
body.

The body
has been sent for post mortem examination, it said, adding that further details
would be known only on that.

The
family has alleged she was raped and murdered after she went missing last
evening.

This is
the fourth case of a woman being hanged from a tree. On Wednesday, a
45-year-old woman was found hanging from a tree on the outskirts of her village
Kurianpurwa, in Uttar Pradesh.

The
incidents in the last two days are a chilling reminder the rape and murder of
two sisters in Badaun, which evoked a nationwide outcry.

3) Karachi
attack, latest sign that ISI is losing control:

The
attacks on Karachi airport and the Airport Security Force camp are growing
signs how Pakistan’s home-made monster, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, is
growing stronger and is no longer under the tight grip of the
Inter-Services-Intelligence, its godfather. Vicky Nanjappa reports how these
attacks are just the beginning and there are many more to come.

While
Pakistan reels from the second attack by the Tehreek-e-Taliban, 48 hours after
they claimed responsibility for the attack at the Jinnah International Airport
in Karachi, the brazen strikes force one to question whether the
Inter-Services-Intelligence, which at one point controlled these terrorist
outfits, has lost all grip on them.

After the
attacks, a member of the TTP is believed to have said that the attacks were
revenge against the ISI for trying to weaken their outfit and disband them.
They also wanted to seek revenge for the killing of Hakimullah Mehsud, their
leader who was killed in a US drone strike. “We attacked the airport to avenge
the death of Mehsud, our late leader. There are many more to come as it is just
the beginning,” said a representative of the TTP.The attacks and the statements
clearly show that the TTP is no longer in a conciliatory mood with the ISI. C D
Sahay, former head of India’s Research and Analysis Wing, says that over a
period of time, groups such as the TTP have become extremely powerful and have
sustainable resources in terms of money and arms. More importantly, they are
highly indoctrinated in terms of religious beliefs which is the most
significant reason as to why they would even go against their creators -- the
ISI.

Michael
Kugelman, an expert on issues relating to South Asia, South East Asia,
particularly India, Pakistan and Afghanistan and the senior programme associate
at the Woodrow Wilson Centre, WashingtonDC, says the attack in Karachi is just
a reminder of how Pakistan is still in the tight grip of well-armed, determined
militants who operate with sheer impunity.He adds that the airport attack is
just a prologue and Pakistan can expect a new wave of attacks, after the
government decided to no longer pursue peace talks with the Taliban.And with
thousands of Taliban fighters in Karachi alone, it appears inevitable that
other Pakistan cities, too, are about to experience violence, Kugelman points
out.

Sahay
adds that the TTP’s main intent today is to keep the Nawaz Sharif government on
edge. “Today, the TTP is capable of acting on its own and I don’t agree that
for an attack like the one at Karachi a mole in the government was required. It
was a suicide attack and when they come on such a mission, they don’t need anyone.”
And it is not just the TTP that the ISI is losing control over. According to
sources, the home-grown Indian Mujahideen outfit is also trying to break away
from the ISI, ever since it felt that Pakistan was cosying up to the United
States.There are murmurs that sensing the pullout, the ISI themselves handed
over Yasin Bhatkal so that he could be apprehended by the Indians, which would
lead to a leadership vacuum within the IM and allow the ISI to appoint a person
of its choice to head the terror outfit.And at a time when it seems that the
ISI is losing control, Pakistan may have to look to Hamid Gul, former chief of
the ISI, to help put things back in order. After all, Gul is the person
responsible for keeping all the terror outfits under the rule of the ISI and
also allegedly responsible for tipping off slain Al Qaeda leader Osama bin
Laden of an impending US missile strike.

4) Heavy
firing along LoC as Pak violates ceasefire:

Pakistan
troops on Friday targeted Indian posts with heavy firing and mortar shelling
along the Line of Control in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir in yet
another violation of the ceasefire, prompting retaliation by Indian
forces.Pakistan troops fired 81-mm mortar shells and directed automatic and
small-arms fire at Indian posts along the LoC in the Mendhar-BhimberGali-Keri
forward areas of Poonch district around 7.30 am, said a senior army officer.

No
casualty or damage has been reported on this side of the LoC due to the firing,
he said.Indian troops guarding the border effectively replied with similar
calibre weapons, he said, adding that the "exchanges occurred in three
forward areas".

The
firing comes a day after an IED blast in the Tarkundi forward area along the
LoC in Poonch in which one jawan was killed and three others injured.Between
end of April and mid-May, 19 incidents of ceasefire violation were reported
along the LoC in Jammu.Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah
questioned the timing of the ceasefire violation, a day ahead of Defence
Minister Arun Jaitley's first visit to the state since assuming office.

"Is
it just a coincidence that the defence minister is visiting J&K, for his
1st visit, to review the security situation tomorrow?" Omar wrote on
micro-blogging website Twitter.Omar said that the ceasefire violations in the
Rajouri and Poonch areas were significant as some of shells had landed in
civilian areas."Significant ceasefire violation in Rajouri and Poonch with
reports of some shells having landed in civilian areas. Some livestock loss,"
he further tweeted.In 2013, 12 jawans were killed and 41 injured in 149
ceasefire violations and firing incidents by Pakistan troops on forward posts,
civilian areas and patrolling parties along the Indo-Pak border.

5) BJP
leader's murder in Muzaffarnagar: Man taken in custody:

One
person was taken into custody on Wednesday in connection with the murder of a
Bharatiya Janata Party leader in Muzaffarnagar, police said.Monu was taken into
custody in Muzaffarnagar in connection with the murder of Om Vir Singh in
Mirapur, IG (Law and Order) Amrendra Sengar said.

47-year-old
Om Vir Singh 'Fauji', a retired army man who was the vice-president of BJP unit
in Mirapur town, was out for a morning walk when two assailants fired multiple
shots at him on Tuesday, according to police. Singh, who had a licensed
revolver with him, too fired at the attackers but they snatched it from him.In
the preliminary inquiry, Monu has said that he along with his accomplice had
gone to Mirapur with the aim of killing someone else, Sengar said.But on seeing
Om Vir with a firearm, they thought that their plan had been leaked and so shot
at him, Sengar said.

Monu
claims that he was also injured in the shooting and was taken to hospital for
treatment by his relatives, Sengar said, adding that his claims were being
verified and police would come to a conclusion only after that.Following
Singh's killing, his family members and BJP workers had staged protests and
blocked a road.

6) Modi's
first speech in Parl: Don't want to move forward without oppn:

Despite
their depleted numbers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday extended an
olive branch to the opposition, saying he would take them along in
decision-making and would work for development of all sections, including
Muslims.

Making his
first speech in both the Houses of Parliament, he said victory teaches many
lessons and that he welcomed criticism so that his government can be
"saved from becoming arrogant"."Forget the bitterness of the
past. We have to work together for the development of the country. "We can
bring about change. I don't want to move forward without you (opposition). I
don't have to move forward on the basis of numbers but on the basis of
collective decision-making. If necessary, we will move forward with your guidance,"
Modi said in his reply to the debate on the motion of thanks to the President's
address in both the Houses.After his reply, the motion was adopted unanimously.
In his hour-long speech in the Lok Sabha heard in rapt attention, the prime
minister rejected the Opposition's charge that the Bharatiya Janata Party had
become arrogant after the landslide victory in the Lok Sabha elections.Modi, a
newcomer to Parliament, acknowledged the fact and said he would like to be
guided by seniors even from the opposition and asked them to forgive any wrong
words he may use.

But at
the same time he did not fail to take a dig at Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of
the main opposition party, Congress, who had invoked Mahabharata to remind the
BJP such as Pandavas Congress would come back to power."As Mahabharata was
mentioned here (Lok Sabha) on Tuesday, I am reminded of Duryodhana who said he
knew dharma and truth but did not have the inclination to follow that.
Likewise, they (Congress) also knew what was the right thing to do but they did
not do it. We will do it," he said amid thumping of desks by Treasury
benches.

Reaching
out to the minorities, he referred to the apprehensions expressed by some
members over their fate and said his government would work for the development
of Muslims."I believe if one organ of the body remains weak, can the whole
be called healthy? We are committed to this (progress of minorities). We don't
see it as appeasement," he said.Modi said political parties should now go
beyond victory and defeat and take the right lessons from the verdict.
"Victory gives lessons and we must learn. It teaches us humility," he
said and gave an assurance that he would take the "blessings of
seniors" so that "we are saved from becoming arrogant".

Underlining
that decisions have to be taken with great courage, Modi made it clear that he
would not be discouraged by criticism. "We welcome criticism. The more the
criticism, the better it is... It is for the welfare of the country...In a
democracy, criticism gives strength and it will guide us."The prime
minister also touched upon a topic which was his favourite theme in his
election speeches when he referred to criminal cases against elected
representatives and the need to expedite trial in them so that guilty can be
punished and the innocent protected."There should be fear of the law,"
he said, adding quick decisions in such cases will obviate the need for filing
of affidavits by candidates who have to fill up details such as criminal cases
pending against them whether they are genuine or false. The prime minister
talked about his "dreams" of ensuring the country's progress and
converting the image from "scam India" to "skills India"
through "cooperative federalism".

He
specifically mentioned his ideas about improving the agriculture and
infrastructure sectors and for which best practices of any state would be
adopted. He said the foremost priority of his government would be uplift of the
poor and ensuring that nobody is without a house with water, electricity and
toilet by 2022, when the country celebrates 75th year of Independence.

Invoking Mahatma
Gandhi repeatedly, Modi said, "Let us dream and make effort to fulfill
those dreams. There will be difficulties but with your (opposition) cooperation
we will move forward."Modi also had some assuring words for the states as
he said, "We don't believe in big brother attitude (towards states). We
believe in Cooperative Federalism."

7) Delhi
power cuts: Kejriwal seeks PM's intervention:

Aam Aadmi
Party chief Arvind Kejriwal has sought the intervention of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi in solving the power crisis in the national capital. “Kejriwal
has written a letter to PM Modi and has sought his intervention to solve the
power crisis, which the people of Delhi have been facing these days,” said an
AAP leader.

As Delhi
is under President’s rule, AAP leaders argue that the Bharatiya Janata Party,
which is in power at the Centre, is entrusted with the responsibility of
solving the power crisis.

On
Tuesday, AAP members had staged a protest outside Union Minister Harsh
Vardhan’s house in East Delhi, demanding urgent steps by the Centre to improve
electricity supply in the city.

Delhi has
been reeling under long power cuts ranging from one to six hours for over a
week after a devastating storm severely damaged major power transmission lines
across the city.

Sports News
This Week:

1) 17
Wildest Things at the World Cup Opening Ceremony:

Brazil
marked the beginning of its futbol festivities on Thursday with a grand opening
ceremony that confused most viewers, but did manage to give us a plethora of
ideas for our next Halloween costumes. There were dancing trees and running
flowers and human soccer balls. Jennifer Lopez and Pitbull sang and kind of
shouted into their microphones. If you watched the Spanish live stream it
probably made no sense. If you watched the English version airing on NBC it
probably made no sense.

And
somewhere, Vladimir Putin and his giant Sochi Bear pal are grinning, thinking
that they'd finally given up the spot for weirdest opening ceremonies of all
time.

2) Neymar
Leads Brazil to 3-1 Win Over Croatia:

Neymar
showed why he is carrying Brazil’s hopes at the World Cup, scoring twice on
Thursday to help the underwhelming hosts escape a disappointing start to the
tournament.

With
Brazil struggling and down a goal against a spirited Croatian team, Neymar came
through to lead his team to a 3-1 win in the opening match, scoring once in
each half. The killer goal to make the score 2-1 was a hotly contested penalty
awarded by Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura.

“Things
weren’t going well,” he said. “The first match is always difficult, we were
anxious, we were nervous. I’m glad I was able to get the goals we needed at the
time we needed them.”“He is a special player and we know that,” Brazil coach
Luiz Felipe Scolari said. “And he needs to know that we know that. Brazil got
off to a slow start in its home tournament.

Defender
Marcelo found his own net while trying to clear a low cross by Ivica Olic in
the 11th minute, stunning the crowd of more than 62,100 packing the Itaquerao
Stadium.But Neymar equalized in the 29th, firing a perfectly placed low shot
that went in off the post. He said he didn’t hit the ball perfectly, “but it
went in, it’s all that matters.”“It’s important to start these tournaments on
the right foot, with a victory,” said Neymar. “I’m happy that I got to score,
but the entire team deserves credit. We maintained our calm and showed we could
battle back.”

The game
turned on a controversial penalty awarded by Nishimura in the second half after
striker Fred went down inside the area under minimal contact from defender
Dejan Lovren.Neymar scored from the spot in the 71st minute, getting his 33rd
goal with Brazil. Croatia goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa nearly saved Neymar’s
shot, but it was struck hard enough to deflect into the net. The Croatians were
furious.“If that was a penalty, we should be playing basketball. Those kinds of
fouls are penalized there,” Croatia coach Niko Kovac said.“That is shameful,
this is not a World Cup referee. He had one kind of criteria for them and
another for us. The rules were not the same,” Kovac said.As Croatia searched
desperately for an equalizer, Oscar added to the lead in the first minute of
injury time with a toe poke from just outside the penalty area.

A draw
would have been a huge disappointment for Brazil, which had won its opening
match the last eight times and is overwhelming favorite to win the
competition.“The team didn’t give up,” Brazil defender David Luiz said “We knew
it would be hard but we played well and got that first goal and then the
victory.”The tournament finally got underway as planned after months of talk
about the preparation problems that plagued Brazil since it was picked as host
seven years ago.The troubled Itaquerao, which wasn’t fully finished for the
opener, held up without major setbacks to fans or the match itself, although
part of the lights atop the pitch went out a few times for brief periods in the
first half

She's
been called "beautiful," "hot" and "sexy" but
when it comes to tennis, the most apt description for Maria Sharapova has to be
"tough."

The
Russian rallied from a set down three straight times to reach this year's
French Open final and then prevailed in Saturday's thrilling three-hour finale
against rising star Simona Halep, 6-4 6-7 6-4."This is the toughest grand
slam final I've ever played," Sharapova, who was contesting a ninth such
match, summed up as she collected her trophy.

Even
after losing the second set and hitting a flurry of double faults, Sharapova
still had the edge.She's almost a sure thing in third sets on clay, having
triumphed 20 times in a row. It's been six years since the 27-year-old was
defeated after capturing the first set in a clay-court match, too.But if Halep
maintains this form, it won't be long before she opens her grand slam account.

Smaller
and with less power than Sharapova, the Romanian nonetheless almost did the
unthinkable -- toughing out the now five-time grand slam champion. Her manager,
Virginia Ruzici, remains the last Romanian to win a grand slam, in Paris in
1978.

4) French
Open: Rafael Nadal wins unprecedented 9th title:

Trying to
beat Rafael Nadal at the French Open is, without a doubt, the toughest task in
tennis. Indeed, must be among the greatest challenges in all of sports.The
pressure he applies, from set to set, game to game, point to point, shot to
shot. That bullwhip of a high-bouncing, topspin lefty forehand. Those
quick-reflex returns that help him break an opponent's serve — and his will.

Doing
what he does so well on the red clay of Roland Garros, a surface and site he
dominates so completely, the No. 1-seeded Nadal wore down No. 2 Novak Djokovic
3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-4 in a muggy final Sunday to win his ninth French Open
championship and fifth in a row, both records."For me," Nadal said,
"playing here in Roland Garros is just unforgettable, forever."

It is
also his 14th Grand Slam title overall, tying the 28-year-old Spaniard with
Pete Sampras for the second most by a man, behind only Roger Federer's 17.That
includes Nadal's two trophies apiece at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, along with
one from the Australian Open, proving he can beat the best on grass and hard
courts, too. But it's on the clay of Paris where Nadal reigns supreme: He has
won 66 of 67 career French Open matches.Since the only loss, against Robin
Soderling in the fourth round in 2009, Nadal has won 35 consecutive matches at
Roland Garros.No other man has won more than seven titles at any of tennis'
four majors."It's not impossible, but it's very, very difficult to stay
with Rafa in this court, throughout the whole match, on the highest level of
performance," said Djokovic, who was broken in the final game of each set,
including with an anticlimactic double-fault on match point.

5) Spain
vs Netherlands, the rematch:

The big
rematch between Spain and Netherlands has come around quickly. The teams that
played in the final of the last World Cup meet again on Day 2 in Brazil.

The 2014
tournament kicked off with host nation Brazil beating Croatia 3-1 after
conceding an early own goal on Thursday. The Group B clash between defending
champion Spain and Netherlands is one of three games set for Friday.

Here are
some things to look for:

NO
COMPARISON: Dutch winger Arjen Robben has consigned his team's 1-0 loss to
Spain in the 2010 final to history, saying he doesn't believe in revenge and
there's no way to compare a group game with a title decider.

That
doesn't mean there'll be any less ferocity in the tackles.On the eve of the
rematch, coach Louis van Gaal defended the tough tackling in the 2010 final
that resulted in a total of 13 yellow cards, one red card and wide criticism
for his predecessor. That sounds like a cue for more of the same.Van Gaal
signaled he's considering playing five defenders to stifle Spain's
slick-passing forwards in a further sign that the attacking "total
football" style of the Dutch teams of the 1970s and '80s has been
supplanted by a tough, uncompromising focus on defense.And they train as they
intend to play — Robben was floored twice in tackles in practice this week and
midfield playmaker Wesley Sneijder was left wincing in pain after a tackle from
behind by Nigel de Jong.Spain coach Vicente del Bosque believes his team is in
its prime and determined to continue a winning run in major events that started
at Euro 2008.

Brazilian-born
striker Diego Costa is expected to start up front for a Spain, which will
likely be relying on a midfield containing David Silva, Cesc Fabregas and
Sergio Busquets to help the team dominate possession.Fabregas will be playing a
day after announcing he is leaving Barcelona to return to Chelsea on a
five-year deal.

Book Of
This Week:

Origin of
the Soul and the Purpose of Reincarnation: by Walter Semkiw

Origin of
the Soul and the Purpose of Reincarnation serves as a complement to prior books
on reincarnation written by Dr. Semkiw, such as Born Again and Return of the
Revolutionaries, which focus on cases which demonstrate objective evidence of
reincarnation. Dr. Semkiw draws upon independent research, including books such
as Twenty Cases of Reincarnation, Xenoglossy, Unlearned Language and European
Cases of the Reincarnation Type, all written by Ian Stevenson, MD, to better
understand the nature of the soul and how reincarnation works. Dr. Semkiw also
utilizes information gathered through Kevin Ryerson, a trance medium who has
been featured in Shirley MacLaine's books, including Out on a Limb. Topics
covered in Origin of the Soul and the Purpose of Reincarnation include when and
how souls were created, how personality is determined, the nature of soul
mates, stages of human evolution, and the nature of time and space. Split
incarnation, where one soul inhabits more than one body at a time, as well as
ghosts, astrology, the Kabbalah and Enneagram are also addressed. Stages of
initiation, identified in the life of Jesus, are reviewed. Child prodigies are
explained through reincarnation, as illustrated in cases involving Beethoven,
Anne Frank, Gauguin, Picasso, Rubens and Oprah Winfrey. New reincarnation cases
include those involving Hans Christian Andersen, Beethoven, Annie Besant,
Francis Collins, Copernicus, Maneka Gandhi, Edvard Grieg, Jean Baptist Lamarck,
Bruce Lipton, Louis Pasteur, Michelangelo, Napoleon, Adam Smith, Craig Venter and
St. Teresa of Avila. Respected clairvoyants, who can access spiritual realms
and beings, have contributed to Origin of the Soul and the Purpose of
Reincarnation. These include Echo Bodine, Judy Goodman, Wayne Peterson and
Michael Tamura. In working together and through an organization called IISIS,
contributors seek to establish a new science of spirituality.

Walter
Semkiw :

Dr.
Semkiw is a Board Certified Occupational Medicine physician who practices at a
major medical center in San Francisco, where he served as the Assistant Chief
of Occupational Medicine.Previously, he
served as Medical Director for Unocal 76, a Fortune 500 oil company.His
undergraduate years were spent at the University of Illinois, where he majored
in biology and graduated Phi Beta Kappa and with University Honors. After
obtaining his medical degree at the University of Illinois, Chicago, he trained
in psychiatry at the University of Colorado, Denver.

He
subsequently entered an Occupational Medicine residency at the University of
Illinois, Chicago, where he earned a Masters of Public Health (MPH) degree. In
this program, he studied epidemiology and biostatistics, disciplines concerned
with establishing scientific proofs. On his Occupational Medicine board
examination, he scored in the 99th percentile.

Walter
embarked on reincarnation research in 1995 and he is the author of Return of
the Revolutionaries: The Case for Reincarnation and Soul Groups Reunited, which
was published in 2003.In this book, a
cohort reincarnated from the time of the American Revolution is
identified.Former President Bill
Clinton wrote, regarding Revolutionaries, “It looks fascinating,” and
neurosurgeon Norm Shealy, MD, PhD, wrote “For the survival of humanity, this is
the most important book written in 2000 years.”

Walter is
also the author of Born Again, which is available in the India, Indonesia and
Serbia (2006 version).In this book,
independently researched reincarnation cases with evidence of reincarnation are
compiled with a focus on the work of Ian Stevenson, MD of the University of
Virginia.Cases derived through world
famous trance medium Kevin Ryerson, who has been featured in Shirley MacLaine's
books, are also presented.Born Again
has received widespread media attention in India and Walter was featured on CNN
in March 2006.

An
expanded international edition of Born Again (2011), which summarizes key
reincarnation cases with evidence of past lives, is now available as an E-Book,
as well as in a printed version.Born Again has been commented on by the former
President of India, Abdul Kalam, and by Shah Rukh Kahn, one of India’s greatest
film and television stars.

Walter
has also penned Origin of the Soul and the Purpose of Reincarnation.Whereas Return of the Revolutionaries and
Born Again present cases which demonstrate objective evidence of reincarnation,
Origin of the Soul addresses the big picture of why we reincarnate and the
nature of the spiritual world.Walter has presented at the Society for
Scientific Exploration (SSE), an academic group that pioneer reincarnation
researcher Ian Stevenson, MD cofounded.Walter spent a day with Dr. Stevenson in 2001 and Dr. Stevenson
personally sponsored Walter's membership in the SSE. Walter is an advocate of
Ian Stevenson's past lives research.Dr. Semkiw has been a speaker at the first
four World Congresses for Regression Therapy, held in the Netherlands, India,
Brazil and Turkey.He has appeared on
CNN and in Newsweek, as well as numerous other television and radio shows,
including Coast to Coast.He has been
cited on numerous occasions in the Times of India, which has the largest
circulation of any English language newspaper in the world.In sum, Dr. Semkiw is an expert in
reincarnation research, particularly reincarnation cases which demonstrate
objective evidence of reincarnation.